- (1.)Heard Shri Jayant Das, learned senior counsel for the appellants. None appears for the respondent despite service of notice.
(2.)In this appeal filed under section 19 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 (for short, the 'act') the judgment of the Orissa High court holding the appellant no. 2 guilty of civil contempt and sentencing him to undergo imprisonment of one day is under challenge.
(3.)The facts leading to the present proceedings may be stated thus: the Steel Authority of India Ltd. by the notice dated 4/1/1990 invited tenders for purchase of 459 MTS of plates and steel plates. In pursuance of the said notice, tenders were received. They were opened on the 10th of January, 1990 and offer of sale was sent to the highest tenderer, M/s. R. K. Enterprises, respondent herein, giving it seven days' time for depositing the amount. Since the respondent failed to deposit the requisite amount offers were made to different parties and it was decided that the stock will be sold to some other parties, including M/s. Indian Metal and Ferrow alloys. The sale was concluded on 14.5.90. Thereafter, the respondent filed the writ petition, OJC no. 1687/90 challenging the sale to Indian Metal and Ferrow Alloys and others. In that case the division bench of the High Court passed an interim order on 17/5/90 which reads as follows:
"Heard.issue notice to the opposite parties. Status-quo as on date be maintained. "